Electric train-signal.



PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

J. a. J. P. HABE. ELECTRIC TRAIN SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. W. J. & J. P. RARE.

ELECTRIC TRAIN SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1902 28E JK N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES atented November 24, 1903.y

PATENT OEETCE.

WILLIAM JAMES HARE AND JAMES PETER HARE, OE TORONTO, CANADA, ASSIGNORS OF FORTY-FIVE ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO HERBERT WILLIAMS,

' EMMA WILLIAMS, ALICE HARE, AND

ADA.

THOMAS HARE, OF TORONTO, CAN- ELECYTRIC TRAIN-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,277, dated. November 24, 19103.

Application led July 11, 1902. Serial No. 1l5,182 (No model.) l

To @ZZ whom t may canccrn:

Beit known that we,WILLIAM JAMES HARE and J AMES PETER HABE, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, `Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Train-Signals, of which the following isa specification.

The object of our invention is to devise means for automatically conveying warningxo signals to the engineers ot' trains which come within a safe limit of distance of one another; and it consists, essentially, of a source of electric current carried by one engine and connected with two parallel insulated conductors I5 extending along the track and of van electric bell on the other engine also connected with the said conductors, so that when the engines come near enough together to enable the elec,- tric potential to overcome the resistance of 2o the conductors the bell rings, and thus warns the engineer. When awarning is to be given on each engine, av source of electric current and a bell are connected in series on each engine, substantially as hereinafter more particularly described and then definitely claimed.

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a locomotive equipped with our electric signal apparatus, the portions of the locomotive 3o being shown in dotted lines and the signaling apparatus in'full lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a commutator with the frontside of its casing removed. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a contact-Wheel and its brushes. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of ay section of the electrical rails or conductors. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic View showing the arrangement of 4o the apparatus.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the dierent figures.

The general arrangement of our apparatus will be best understood by reference to Fig.

l, lin which A is a source of electric current,

either a battery or dynamo; B, an electric bell; O, a contact-wheel, formed in two insulated parts, respectively, engaging the parallel insulated electric conductors or rails D D', 5o and E E', insulated wiring connecting in series the source of current, the electric bell, and the halves of the contact-wheel. (See Fig. 7.) As the conductors D D' are insulated from oneanother, no current can flow through the circuit. It, however, another engine equipped with the apparatus just described comes sufficiently7 close for the potential of the source of current A Vto overcome the resistance of the conductors between the two engines, the current will iiow out from the first engine through the conductor D to the second engine, through the circuit of I[he second engine to the conductor D', thence back to its starting-point, incidentally ringing the bells in each circuit, and thus warning each engineer ot the fact that he is approachng another train.

It will be seen that if warning is desired in one engine only the bell might be omitted 7o from one circuit and the source of electricity from the other; Ybut such an arrangement would not be commercially practicable, as'no assurance could be given that two engines drawing near to one another would be equipped with the proper complementary apparatus nor could absolute safety be insured when only one engineer was aware of the possibility of a collision. We therefore propose to invariably equip each engine with 8o both a source of current and a bell in the same circuit. l Y

When veach engine is equipped witha source of current connected-with the conductors D D', it may happen that the positive terminal 85 of each source of current will be connected with one of the conductors and the negative terminal of each source of current with the other, in which case askthe sources of current are working against one another no current 9c could iiow in the apparatus of either engine and no warning would be given to either engineer. We therefore include in the circuit of either engine a commutator F, arranged to produce a rapid and constant alternation in the direction of the current given out by thel source A. Witha constant change in the direction of the current carried to the conducable casing secured below the body of the enstandards L.

gine. In this casing is journaled the rockshaft H, having insulated collars I I' secured thereto. On each collar are formed projectionsJ J'. Contacting with the curved snrfaces of the collars are the spring-actuated brushes K K' of any suitable construction. With these brushes the wires E E' are respectively connected. Adjacent to the collars I I' and on each side thereof we provide four On these standards are pivoted the yielding contact-pieces M M'. The tails of these contact-pieces are engaged by the coil-springs a., normally tending to force them up. Their upward motion is limited by means of the rods b, secured to the bases ofv the standards and extending through looselyfitting holes in the tails. Suitable adjustingnuts are provided above the tails, theends of the rods being screw-threaded to permit of the nuts being adjusted to adjust the positions of the contact-pieces. The standards L are necessarily in electrical connection with the contact-pieces and are cross-connected by means of the Wires c c. As will be seen on reference to Fig. 2, when the rock-shaft is in its central position the projections J J' are all out of contact with the yielding contactpieces M M'. If, however, the rock-shaft be rocked to the left, the projections J' are brought into contact with the contact-pieces M'. Current may then low (supposing the left-hand end of the wire E to be connected with the positive terminal of the source of current) through the wire E, the brush K, collar I, the contact-piece M', engaged with the projection J' of the said collar, through the standard of the said contact-piece, and into the right-hand continuation of the wire E. The return is through the right-hand section of the wire E', through the standard L of the far contact-piece M', the projection J', the collar I', through the said collar, and through the brush K' to the left-hand section of the wire E'. If, now, the rock-shaft be rocked to the right to bring the projections J into contact with the yielding contact-piece M, the direction of the current will be as follows: through the left-hand section of the Wire E', through the brush K into the collar I, through the projection .l thereon into the near contact-piece M, through its standard L, through the wire c to the standard of the far contact-piece M', and thence into the right-hand section of the wire E'. The return is through the right-hand section of the wire E to the standard of the near contactpiece M', thence through the wire c' to the standard of the far contact-piece M, through the said standard and contact-piece, through the projection-J of the collar I', through the said collar into the brush K', thence to the left-hand section of the wire E'. `Thus by rapidly rocking the shaft H a rapid alternation may be made in the direction in which the current flows or may flow through the wires E E'. The shaft may be rocked in any suitable manner. We prefer, however, to connect an eccentric N to one of the axles of the locomotive. On the end of the rock-shaft H we secure an arm O, connected with the eccentric by the eccentric-rod d., Thus when the engine is running the desired alternation in the direction ot the current is effected.

The wheel C,'by means of which contact is made with the conductors D D', is best understood by reference to Fig. 5. The essential parts ot' this wheel are the two insulated metal disks PP'. Each of these, however, is electrically connected, respectively, with one of the sleeves Q Q', insulated from the axle or bearing of the wheel. The axle of this wheel is journaled in boxes R, suitably supported by the truck of the pony-wheels of the locomotive. These boxes are preferably made vertically movable, asshown, and are normally held down by springs e, so that the wheel may be given a yielding contact with the conductors D D'. Contacting with the sleeves Q Q' are the spring-actuated brushes S S'. These brushes are preferably carried on arms T, pivoted atf ou any suitable part of the truck of the pony-,wheels of the locomotive. A contact is thus provided between the brushes and the sleeves, which will he maintained under all inequalities of the conductors and will not be disturbed by vibrations or other motions of the locomotive or truck.

In order to provide means for testing the apparatus, we connect the brushes S S', by means of the wires g g',with an electric lamp U. Included in this circuit is a switch h. By throwing in thisswitch a circuit is established from the source of current through the lamp. It' the lamp lights up when the switch is thrown in, the engineer knows at once his apparatus is in working order. It' the lamp does not light, something is wrong and steps or to take extra precautions to avoid collisions.

From the above description it will be seen that it is impossible for two trains to come closer together than is safe without warning being immediately given to each engineer, and this when the trains are drawing together from opposite directions or in the same direction or even when one is at a standstill.

If all the wheels of both trains were insulated, the ordinary rails might'be used in- ICO IIO

.will be taken to put the apparatus in order 

